You and Me and Everybody Else
by Lukeprism
Summary: TajiMiha - A drabble!fic of sorts centering around Tajima, Mihashi, and everyone else around them. Rating subject to change. Part 6 - Encouragement
1. Before Practice

_**A/N: So yeah. Since MtaF is done, I decided I'd try a different kind of fic...sort of. This'll be a drabble series with short oneshots pertaining to our favorite pairing, TajiMiha! ...alright, maybe not, but I hope you find them at least somewhat entertaining. If you have any ideas or requests for a single drabble, leave me a review and let me know! I just might use it, crediting you, of course. :D**_

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Ookiku Furikabutte/Big Windup!. I'm perfectly happy to just pair the characters up for the lulz.

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_Before Practice_

A pair of wheels rolled to a halt in an unusual place, at least for the rider. He just kind of sat there, waiting for his best friend to show, so they could ride to practice together. But was that really how it was now? Even after last night's events?

Yesterday evening, he had succeeded in looking like a totally perverted idiot, and yet, by the graces of God, he'd somehow managed to get Tajima to confess his feelings for him. Yeah. He still couldn't believe it himself. After that he'd done the same, in a less stunning and terribly stuttery way, and they'd both shared a kiss, a kiss that he still couldn't get out of his mind even eight hours later. And Tajima had promised that they'd continue where they'd left off this morning. But was that even what he'd actually said, or just his own pubescent teenage mind at work? The whole affair last night had had a kind of dream-like quality.

But he shook his head. He would find out soon enough whether the whole thing was just a dream or not. Mihashi brought his wrist up close to his face. A quarter to six. He had to leave in a few minutes, with or without Tajima (though he _desperately_ wished for the former) as Momokan wouldn't take very kindly to their being late.

But just as Mihashi was considering leaving, a voice called out to him from down the street he'd stopped at. Looking up, he spotted whom else but Tajima, riding toward him on his own bike with a duffle bag slung across his shoulder and a smile plastered across his face, directed at him. Him. "Hey, Ren!"

Mihashi smiled back and held up a hand in reply. "G-good morning, Chiro," he said, inwardly cursing himself. _Damn stutter, always ruining the moment._

The cleanup hitter screeched to a stop about an arm's length in front of him, winking. "I'm just in time, huh? Sorry about that." He rubbed the back of his neck rather sheepishly. "We should get going before were late and Momokan skins us alive."

When he said that, two emotions overcame the sandy brunette. One, realization. For two reasons: Because they were almost certainly going to be late, and because of course Tajima wouldn't remember. Two, the disappointment, because he'd been so sure that he and Tajima would kiss again. But that was just him, being too optimistic for once. That's why he preferred pessimism. You prepare yourself for the worst, and you're very rarely let down, and sometimes even surprised by a good outcome.

But he smiled anyway, masking his emotions fairly well for once. "Y-yeah," he agreed, not even bothering to be frustrated by his speech impediment at the moment. When they both set off for the field, Tajima started a rather nonchalant conversation about how stupid last night's Algebra II homework had been. Mihashi shared his dislike, noting a particular problem that had given him hell, causing Tajima to exclaim his own agreement.

The entire way, Mihashi was only half-listening to Tajima's bubbly chatter. He might've been able to hide his disappointment from his freckled companion, but there was no hiding it from himself. He had just been looking forward to it for the entire night, and a lot longer if you counted before their first kiss, and now that he knew it wasn't going to happen... He knew he was being childish. It was so dumb, getting so bent out of shape over a stupid kiss. But that was just it; it wasn't just a stupid kiss. It was a stupid kiss _with Tajima._

By the time they'd arrived at the field, that had no more than a few seconds to spare. Oki spotted them as they were gathering for the pre-practice meditation. "Guys, get your butts in here! Mr. Shiga's about to start meditating!" he hissed as softly as he could and still have them hear so as not to alert Momokan of their very nearly lateness.

"Alright, alright, be right there," Tajima hissed back his thanks before locking his bike on the rack next to Mihashi. The sandy brunette was just about to hustle his way over to the team huddle in the center of the field when the shorter of the two grabbed the back of his practice jersey, turned him around, and kissed him full on the lips.

It didn't last for but two seconds, but man, was it _awesome_. Even better than Mihashi'd remembered. His lips were soft yet assertive, knowing exactly what they were doing and being just gentle enough with him on top of it all. It was all Mihashi could to do to just push back a little before Tajima pulled back and grinned at him.

"Next time I'll have to wake up earlier, huh?" he patted him on the shoulder before he sprinted off, pulling his hat onto his head. As Mihashi stared at his back (and, just a wee bit, his nice ass) and suddenly jerked into a run, going as fast as his clumsy legs would allow him to, he thought just one thing.

_He's amazing._

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	2. Sportsmanship

_**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing, I swear.**_

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_Sportsmanship_

Mihashi wiped the sweat off of his forehead.

Apparently, he and Hanai had been 'subpar' lately, according to their mothers. Hanai had unsurprisingly berated his mother, but for once, Mihashi got kind of irritated with his own. The one practice they could make it to had been the practice after the big day of midterms at school, so of course their performances that day would've been a bit unimpressive. Nevertheless, their busty female coach had promised the both of them to do something about it. So Momokan had apparently hatched up a brilliant plan that would benefit them both.

Right now Hanai was breathing hard, the bat in his hands a bit slippery from his own sweat. The two had been more or less pitted against each other, Mihashi pitching and Hanai hitting his pitches. Momokan had explained that the one who won, best two out of three three-strike challenges, would not so much win anything as the loser would run ten extra laps on top of her already-rigorous running requirement. Hanai would win if he got to first base on a hit with the defense played by Sakaeguchi, Izumi and Tajima on their respective bases and Mizutani and Oki in the outfield, and Mihashi would win if he was struck out in any way.

Abe slapped his mitt. "Again! Don't let this guy get another hit, Mihashi!" he insisted, holding said mitt out. Hanai narrowed his eyes but said nothing, holding the bat behind his head in a determined stance.

Mihashi had won the first challenge, having struck the captain clean out altogether. However, Hanai had won the second one on account of his hitting a double that Mizutani was unable to catch. Now Hanai had two strikes against him and Mihashi looked a little worse for wear. None of the rest of the team wanted either boy to have to run ten extra laps (they all winced at the thought on their behalf), but there was no way to avoid it. They just played as well as they usually would for Mihashi's sake.

And though Mihashi was an extremely good pitcher, Hanai had been around both Mihashi and Abe long enough to know how his pitches worked. He had no problem at least foul-tipping the ball three fifths of the time, much to Mihashi's chagrin. Not that he wanted Hanai to have to run, but _he_ certainly didn't want to.

The air around him was silent and thick with anticipation as he wound up and let his latest pitch fly toward Hanai, whizzing through the air. His eyes widened as he heard the crack of the bat and saw the ball fly up. His heart seemed to skip a beat or three for a moment until he noticed with a sigh of relief that the ball was foul. Thank goodness.

Abe grunted but said nothing, readjusting his stance and Hanai merely shrugged it off and brought the bat back up behind his head, as somber as ever. Momokan stood over to the side next to Shinooka, a ghost of a smile on her lips as she watched the progression eagerly. Sakaeguchi and Izumi shared a look, and Tajima merely stared at Mihashi's profile hard. _I know you can do this. Just focus, Ren._

Mihashi took in a shaky breath before he wound up again. Brought his left foot up and right arm back, and slung the ball as hard as he could, not even caring about his accuracy anymore. He just wanted to get this over with.

Everything seemed to go in slow motion, the way the ball approached Hanai and the way that Hanai judged the pitch and swung his bat. Everyone's breath seemed to be held as the ball sped toward the bat, which was headed straight toward it to meet up halfway and send it flying...

And just like that, the sound of the ball colliding with Abe's mitt resounded throughout the field.

Everything was quiet for a moment, and Mihashi couldn't help but wonder if he had miscounted the number of strikes or something. Then, a familiar voice.

"Hahahah! I knew you could do it, Mihashi!" he shouted, running from his place on third base to his friend's side and slapping him right on the ass, much to everyone's, especially Mihashi's, surprise.

A more awkward silence now. "Uh, Tajima...what was that?" Hanai asked, an eyebrow raised.

Tajima glanced at him. "A friendly slap on the butt, what else? It's a sign of good sportsmanship!" he said, as if this were obvious.

"Er, Tajima, they only do that in football," Sakaeguchi pointed out, also staring curiously.

Tajima was quiet for a second. Then, he laughed again. "Yeah, guess you're right!" he said, deciding to prance off and get a drink of water, leaving Mihashi to take all his curious teammates' stares.

He decided to play it cool and shrug it off. "T-Tajima just being Tajima, I-I guess," he stuttered lamely. It seemed to work for the rest of them, who nodded knowingly and headed into the dugout to change up for their daily dose of running. When Mihashi jogged back to the dugout, though, he wasn't so nonchalant about it inside.

_I want him to do that again._

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	3. Dinner

_**A/N: Drabble idea by Insert Spiffy Name Here. Thanks for the suggestion, and here's to hoping that you like it. :'D**_

DISCLAIMER: How much do I own? Not even a smidge.

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_Dinner_

Mrs. Mihashi placed two heaping plates of rice and curry in front of each of the two boys while she hummed a simple little tune. "Here you boys go~!" she sang, smiling sweetly at them before wandering back to the stove to make herself a plate.

Tajima laid his head on the table next to his plate, sniffing and moaning dramatically. "Oh, Mrs. Mihashi, it smells so good," he said, mouth open and drool starting to congregate. "I wish my mom made curry as well as you do."

The woman blushed as she piled considerably less food on her own plate. "Oh, Tajima, thank you! But I'm sure your mother is a good cook too," she giggled, sitting down at the table and grabbing her own chopsticks. She was the one who initiated the "Thanks for the food," they all said in unison, before she giggled again. "Well, dig in!"

Both Mihashi and Tajima obeyed her, picking up their own chopsticks and shoveling food into their mouths quickly. The only person Mihashi had ever been rivaled by food eating-wise was the dark-haired boy next to him, who could eat almost as fast and voluminously as he himself could. Tajima was over at the Mihashi place to do homework, as his house was overrun with noisy family because the winter holidays were close coming. He'd agreed to stay over for dinner when he'd smelled her cooking.

Mrs. Mihashi laughed at her son and his friend eat so messily as she took small, dainty bites. But she suddenly _tsk_'d herself when she noticed something important was missing. "Dear me," she said, getting up. "I forgot our drinks! Don't worry boys, I'll be right back."

While she was up, Tajima and Mihashi paused their ravenous eating out of respect for her, and because they were both parched now that she mentioned some kind of drink. Tajima licked his lips and sighed at the deliciousness, looking over at Mihashi as he did so. Mihashi smiled back at him, becoming slightly confused when Tajima got a slightly mischievous smirk on his face. He was about to ask what it was all about before the shorter boy got all up in his face and _licked the sandy brunette's lip_s, quickly and simply. It took all Mihashi had to not let out a painfully high squeak as he did this, but it was over in half a second, Tajima leaning away once more and smirking at Mihashi's tomato-red face.

The sandy brunette managed to work his voice. "Wh-wh-_what_ was th-that, Ch-Chiro?" he asked in a whisper, completely taken by surprise. If he wanted to kiss, why wouldn't he just kiss him, instead of literally licking his lips? Unless it was some weird kind of kink?

Tajima chuckled. "Ren, you had some curry on the side of your lips. You can't let good cooking like this go to waste!" he replied with a wink, also keeping his voice low.

When Mrs. Mihashi came back to the table, she didn't even bat an eyelash at her son's red face, completely oblivious to what had just gone on behind her back. She set the drinks on the table ceremoniously. "Well, here we are!" she stated, and as soon as she had seated herself down again, the two boys continued their conquests of the mountains of curry.

Mihashi didn't know if he would be able to look at curry the same way ever again.

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_**A/N: I've ignored this poor drabble archive! ;A; So sorry. Another fic of mine has succeeded in consuming my soul. But here's this little quickie to tide you over a bit. :D**_

If you'd be so kind as to review and/or suggest the theme for a_**nother**__** drabble, I'd appreciate it lots! See you guys on the flipside~. C:**_


	4. First Date

_**A/N: Drabble idea courtesy of Wings Dipped in Silver. Hope you enjoy it~. C:**_

DISCLAIMER: No.

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Mihashi stood at the small intersection almost lamely, hands in his pockets. He wore a light jacket over a plain white t-shirt and skinny jeans complete with plain black Converse, and although he'd attempted to comb his hair a bit, it was still as unruly as ever. He checked his phone one more time for good measure, and it was three minutes later already. He sighed, flipping the thing closed and glancing up at the darkening sky. _Where is he?_

As if on cue, his vision suddenly went black. Two hands quickly clamped over his eyes, causing him to flinch violently and freeze in place. He felt breath on his ear. "Guess who," an all-too-familiar voice breathed.

Mihashi fought to make his mouth work. "Ch-Ch-Chiro!"

A laugh. "Oh, come on, it's no fun if you don't play along, Ren." The hands were removed from his face, and Mihashi whirled around to face his aggressor. Tajima grinned up at him, hands on his hips and eyes alight with amusement. He donned a long-sleeve navy blue shirt and cargo shorts, apparently unfazed by the chilly weather.

Mihashi unconsciously looked him up and down, savoring the sight. He seldom got to see the dark-haired boy in casual clothes as opposed to his school or baseball uniforms. "Y-you look nice," he said with a smile.

Tajima laughed again. "Well, you don't look too bad yourself," he winked, walking ahead of him and beckoning him on. "Come on, let's get going." Mihashi was happy to oblige.

The two walked for a long while, enjoying the semi-lateness of the day because of how secluded the public areas now felt; so much so that they actually held hands for a pretty length period of time. Though Tajima would have been more than happy to claim Mihashi as his for the whole world to hear, he knew that the sandy brunette was extremely embarrassed by that sort of thing, so he kept it to a minimum. As the sky turned black, they weaved their way through their part of town, just...walking. Nothing fancy or anything. The two apparently didn't need trivial things to make an outing qualify as a date. They talked about whatever came to mind as they strolled along. Mihashi wasn't entirely sure, but for a first date, things were going pretty smoothly.

After about an hour or so, Tajima stretched his arms out behind him and looked around, as they had looped back to the commercial area once again. "I'm hungry now. Are you?"

Now that he thought about it, Mihashi was feeling a bit snack-ish. "Mm, sure. What did you h-have in mind?"

"How about..." he trailed off as he scanned the various signs, weighing possible options before setting his mind on a particular one. "McDonalds?"

Mihashi was nodding before Tajima had suggested a place. Even if he'd demanded they eat out of a garbage can, he probably would have gone along with it. Though Tajima would never do that. "Sure."

So the two walked into the McDonalds sitting a few blocks away and ordered their meals before scouting out a place to sit, finding a relatively secluded booth near the back of the establishment. They had bickered over who would pay, but eventually Tajima won the battle and received the receipt, the number on it reading two hundred thirty-eight, which is what they would need to listen for to know their meal was done.

The two sat side by side in the booth, sitting just close enough to cross that line that separated friendship from a more intimate relationship. Their hands lay on top of one another between them, slightly intertwined. Mihashi was smiling like an idiot. "It's really n-nice, to just be together like this," he blurted out in a whisper, conscious of the people around them.

Tajima chuckled. "Funny, I was just thinking the same thing," he murmured, leaning in lightning quick to give the sandy brunette a soft kiss on the cheek. Mihashi had become better at not turning red whenever Tajima showed affection, and now his cheeks barely even colored. He still giggled a little uncontrollably, though.

When he felt Tajima lean away slightly, he became more aware of his surroundings, looking up and fighting the urge to gasp. Because who else but Abe was walking up to them, signature scowl firmly set in place. "What are you two doing here?" he asked bluntly.

Tajima took his hand from Mihashi's and crossed his arms on the table, grinning up at the catcher. "Grabbing a bite to eat. You?" he replied cheekily.

"Same." He paused for a second before sitting down opposite them, regardless of whether he was wanted or not. "Might as well eat with you, then. Mihashi, what did you order?"

Tajima looked surprised at Abe's sudden intrusion in on their alone time, but Mihashi looked anywhere but at the other half of their battery when he answered. "A number f-five."

Abe thought back to the menu. "That's not enough calories," he decided. "Go get another another medium fry."

"Mihashi's a grown boy, Abe," Tajima cut in, looking annoyed. "He doesn't need another father."

Abe shot Tajima a menacing glance. "You're right, he doesn't. But he does need someone to remind him of what he needs."

"You're just being a control freak."

Mihashi glanced between them frantically, the tension in the air nearly palpable. He didn't want the two to fight, but he didn't particularly want Abe there, either. "G-guys..."

"Just go away, Abe. You're interrupting," Tajima continued when the other boy didn't verbally reply.

Abe's eyes narrowed. "Interrupting what?"

Tajima smirked. Hooking an arm around the sandy brunette beside him, he pulled him close and leaned his head on Mihashi's shoulder. "Our _daaate_."

Abe was silent for a moment, regarding the two of them with a calculation expression. Then, he deadpanned. "You and Mihashi are going out?"

"Yep!"

Abe looked at Mihashi, wanting his input over the cleanup hitter's. The sandy brunette swallowed audibly, but put his own arm around Tajima and nodded. "Y-yeah."

"Aww, you hugged me back! This is progress, Ren," the freckled boy laughed.

Abe looked genuinely taken aback, an expression which Mihashi had never seen on his face before. It was rather comical. "So, you and Hanai _aren't_ going out?"

"Huh? No way!" Tajima laughed at such a notion. "Hanai's as straight as they come."

"But you're always..."

"Hitting on him? Heheh, yes, but it's just teasing. It's alway funny to see how he reacts to it," he explained, leaning into Mihashi more and picking his head up. "I'd never go for a guy like him, anyway. Too much of a tight-ass."

Abe snorted. "True." There was a moment of silence before he stood up once more, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Well, sorry for, uh, barging in on your...date. But you _will_ get Mihashi another fry, yes?"

Tajima shrugged. "Only if he wants it."

Abe's scowl returned, and he turned around with a disapproving shake of the head. "Whatever," was what he said as he walked away, leaving the two alone once more.

Tajima stared after him thoughtfully. "He took that better than I thought he would," he observed.

Mihashi nodded in agreement. "Y-yeah, he did."

"Two hundred thirty-eight?"

As Tajima got up to go fetch their food, a thought suddenly came to Mihashi out of the blue.

_I wonder...is Abe gay too?_

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_**A/N: So my iPhone's spellcheck corrects things into 'Tajima' now, lol!**_

Thanks for all the reviews so far, guys, I love you all. :3 Keep those drabble ideas coming, I'm too lazy to come up with my own!

_**Adieu~. C:**_


	5. Valentine's Day

_**A/N: Drabble idea is a mixture of Insert Spiffy Name Here's and Wings Dipped in Silver's ideas. Apologies for combining them, but I thought it'd work well together...hope you enjoy~.**_

DISCLAIMER: Do not own.

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Tajima had once told him that he'd look good in a girls' uniform. Right now, Mihashi was finding it difficult to deny that fact.

He stood in front of the full-body mirror in his room with the door locked just in case his mother came knocking, decked out in a female school uniform. The skirt was folded up a bit to make it shorter, but other than that it was just like it should have been. The finishing touch was the wig he'd obtained from his mother's closet (luckily the two had the exact same hair color) that came down past his shoulders. And just like that, he was a girl. A tall, plain-faced, flat-chested girl.

Sighing, he began to undress again. He would have to do all this again tomorrow morning, and in order to do so he'd have to wake up pretty early. Although, he needed to be late to school so as to keep this surprise a secret. Since tomorrow was Valentine's Day, Mihashi had racked his brains trying to come up with something original to present as a gift to his freckled boyfriend. This had been the plan he'd come up with. He was nervous and anxious about being seen by his entire class cross-dressing, but as long as it was for Tajima, it would be worth it in the end.

Or, so he hoped.  
_  
-asdfjkl;-_

He walked into the building alone, having sent Tajima a text to go on without him to school, feeling self-conscious already even though he wasn't all dressed up yet. His girl uniform was disguised by a jacket and very loose fitting uniform pants, and the wig was in his bag for right now; cross-dressing was expressly forbidden by the higher-ups. He walked down the hallways quickly, not meeting the eyes of anyone he happened to pass on the way.

Once at the end of the hall, where the restrooms were, he debated on which room to use. He would be going in as a male and exiting a female. In the end he chose male, because it was usually empty. Hurrying inside, he jumped into the nearest stall and closed it quickly. He changed in record time, shedding the jacket and pants to reveal the opposite sex' uniform beneath. Taking the wig out and placing it on his head, he quickly styled it from memory and shoved everything else back into his bag. Once satisfied with how he looked, he left the stall and gave himself a quick look in the mirror. He looked good; as good as he could as a female, anyway. He sprinted out of the room before some other guy came in and questioned him.

Now was the moment of truth. He walked quickly back down the hall to where his classroom, 1-7, was located, adjusting his skirt as he went. As he reached the door, he closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath. _This is all for Tajima. This is all for Tajima._ With that thought in mind, he threw the door open and entered with his head held high.

All conversation that had been going on died away slowly as one by one people took notice of him. Collective jaws dropped, girls gasped, dropping their gifts of chocolate and guys stared. They all took it in silently, totally shocked not so much by the action as by the doer of said action. Mihashi had never been one to deliberately break rules before, so it was definitely something out of the ordinary.

Mihashi was not interested in their reactions, however. His eyes wandered until they found Tajima, sitting between Hamada and Izumi, who were just as, if not more than, shocked as everyone else. Tajima had the most priceless look on his face; eyes wide, mouth hanging open, shoulders tense. He looked positively dumbfounded. Mihashi fiddled with the strap of his bag, too embarrassed to do much else.

While everyone else still stared in silent disbelief, Tajima rose from his place at the desks. He walked up to the sandy brunette slowly, almost as if he was sizing him up as he went. He knew how hard it must have been for Mihashi to work up the courage to do something like this. For _him_, no less. And Tajima had to admit, Mihashi looked stunning as a girl. He stopped mere inches in front of the pitcher, gazing up at him with this look of pure endearment that made all of this worth it for Mihashi.

"Best Valentine's day gift _ever_," the dark-haired boy breathed before reaching up and pulling Mihashi into a deep kiss, right there, for the whole class to see.

As Mihashi kissed him back just as fervently, lips meshing together in a warm embrace, he mentally sighed.

_So much for a low-profile relationship._

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_**A/N: Two drabbles in one day? Woah, I'm on a roll! xD I love Tajima and Mihashi's relationship. It's so cute to write! Hopefully you like reading it too. :P**_

Reviews are lovely, they make me smile! Be sure to leave me a drabble idea if you've got one, I'd be happy to write it!

Later, alligators. C:


	6. Encouragement

_**A/N: Idea courtesy of Wings Dipped in Silver. You just come up with the greatest stuff. :P Hope you likey~**_

DISCLAIMER: I don't own it at all. Like, none.

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Mihashi was downright panicking.

It was the bottom of the sixth inning, and Nishiura was down seven to four. The opposing team was winning by a fair amount, and they were getting rather smug about it too, sending the dugout cheeky smiles and cheering extra loud just to piss them all off. And while it wasn't entirely Mihashi's fault, he always blamed himself for his team's shortcomings in terms of defense; he was the pitcher, after all.

It was their turn to bat now. Sakaeguchi hurried in to put on his helmet and grab his bat whilst everyone else filtered in after him, Abe and Mihashi last. Mihashi was looking at the ground, unwilling to meet anyone else's eyes, and Abe was raging.

"_Ugh_! I don't understand it! No matter what I do, they always seem to be able to hit it!" he growled, throwing his catcher gear to the floor in a huff. "They're reading me like a damn book."

Coach Momoe looked the slightest bit sympathetic. "I can see that much," she said, looking across the field to the opposing team's dugout, which was empty save for a few backup players and the coach, who smiled as he watched his pitcher wind up. "We've got to do something, because if we don't...we lose." She turned to face everyone. "And we don't want _that_, now do we?"

Everyone jumped at the suddenly scary look on her face. "N-No, of course not," they all more or less replied in unison.

While Abe fumed, he noticed Mihashi just standing there, still looking at the ground like it was the most interesting thing he'd ever seen. "Well, don't just stand there, Mihashi, get some water or something!" he yelled, though he wasn't so much angry at the sandy brunette as he was at the current score.

The addressed boy yelped, nodding furiously and jumping over to the water jug like his life depended on it. He held a cup shakily to the opening, filling it up before he raised it to his lips and gulped it down, the liquid quite refreshing. He sat the cup back where he'd retrieved it from and sat on the bench, hunching over. His arms were still shaking. Man, he really was getting worked up and nervous. He couldn't help it. He knew somehow that it wasn't Abe who was coming up short here; it was him. He wasn't good enough. He was letting everyone down.

Just like he had in middle school, huh?

_You haven't changed at all._

Tajima, who had up until this point been observing the other team's pitcher like a hawk, looked over to where Mihashi shook in his seat, obviously uneasy. He watched him for a moment before his expression turned determined, knowing what he had to do. The dark-haired cleanup hitter walked across the dugout and stood in front of his team's pitcher squarely. "Mihashi, put your head up."

Mihashi flinched at the voice he knew well, but obeyed, raising his head just enough to look up at him with wide, unsure hazel eyes. Tajima swallowed audibly. He hated that look. He hated it because he knew that Mihashi was more than capable, but the boy wouldn't admit it to himself. Tajima would break him of that, one day. He would show Mihashi just how great he was, in any way he could. He bent down to Mihashi's level, which didn't take much bending since the cleanup hitter was short to begin with.

"Listen to me." He grabbed Mihashi's shoulders firmly, looking straight into his eyes, his face set seriously, a far-cry from the normally playful, joking Tajima everyone else knew. All else in the dugout pretended to be doing other things, but most were listening in on the conversation. "You've got this, Ren. These guys are nothing. They've just been getting lucky all this time. We can hit their stuff just as easily as they've been hitting yours, and that's only because they've figured Abe out, not you." He paused, smiling. "Tell you what. I'll switch out with Abe this time, and we'll see how it works out. Maybe we can use that breaking ball of yours to our advantage, eh?" he suggested, glancing at Coach Mo, who nodded minutely to him, imploring him to continue with his little ego-boosting speech. "I believe in you, man. We've still got three more innings to turn this around. Whatddya say?"

Everyone was silent, waiting for Mihashi's answer. He seemed to be rendered speechless, mouth flapping for a minute. "Ch-Ch-Chiro," he spluttered, face red from the lengthy compliment he'd just received.

Tajima laughed. "I'll take that as a yes," he leaned in close to give the boy a kiss on the cheek. "You'll do great."

Mihashi's face just turned even redder, especially when everyone else openly stared at them. The news that Tajima and Mihashi kinda sorta had a thing going on still hadn't quite sunk in yet.

Tajima stood up, facing the rest of his team like nothing had happened. "Alright, guys, I think I fixed Ren!" he laughed, back to his normal self again. He raised a fist high into the air. "Now let's _do this!_!"

It wasn't really that big of a shock when three innings and a whole lot of pep-talking later they had pulled off a win.

—**e—n—d—d—r—a—b—b —l—e—**

_**A/N: Go ahead and leave more drabble ideas! Also, plain reviews are cool too. :3**_

See you guys~ C:


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